I've only got two weeks left in New Zealand and I have yet to cross 'Visit a marae' off my all-important 32 New Things list! Perish the the thought.
If you're not a Kiwi, you probably wouldn't know that a marae is a "is a communal or sacred place which serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies." There are plenty of tourist-oriented marae visits in New Zealand, in which I'd pile off of a bus with a bunch of other foreigners and watch a staged presentation. There's even a marae tucked into the campus of my alma mater, The University of Victoria. But! I'd love to visit a marae with an actual New Zealander who knows about it first hand - and without 20 other backpackers.
So! If you'd be willing to show me around your marae and you live within two hours of Wellington, would you be so kind as to drop me a line at sarah (at) yesandyes (dot) org? I promise I won't get uncomfortable during the hongi (even though my personal space bubble usually extends four feet in every direction).
6 comments:
Ahh wish I could help you here - I do live within two hours of Wellington, but alas the Marae!!
Good luck!
I don't know them all that well (although I've stayed there groups a few times), but Tapu te Renga marae in Newtown are incredibly welcoming. Depending on what else comes up, they'd be great to give a call and say you'd like to come over. They're replanting millions of trees to create an urban forest, so if you volunteer a little they'll be very happy.
Sorry, Tapu te Ranga!
Have you not met anyone Maori during your time in NZ? Ask someone you know!
Anon,
I work from home so I don't meet anyone at work. Almost everyone I know here I met at the international student orientation at Vic when I was in grad school ... so most of my friends are other ex pats.
So, no. I don't know any Maori people. Which is why I wrote this post :)
If only you could travel 8 hours from wellington to the East Coast, there are about 5 marae within a 10 km radius, and I could easily take you to all of them!
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